Anatomy of a Standard - "I've Never Been in Love Before"

Jamie Taylor shows how to internalize a jazz standard quickly, lay it out effectively on the guitar, and personalize it on the fly — using Frank Loesser's "I've Never Been in Love Before" as the vehicle. Experienced jazz musicians really can absorb tunes incredibly fast, and that's because there's a knack to it: the same skill set that lets them deliver endless variations that stay compatible with the band, boosts aural awareness, and makes complete-sounding solo guitar renditions possible.

In the full 1hr08m class

• Breaking down the original chords and melody so they're easy to remember and treat creatively
• First principles: keeping the melody at the forefront, breaking up chord voices, the cycle of fourths, and tritone substitution
• A solo guitar rendition built up from a simple 'block-out' of the basic chords and melody
• A gradual evolution toward a more complex setting with 12 harmonic variations within the tune's basic road map — which also yield ideas for intros and endings
• Working within the composer's road map rather than discarding it — substitution, not wholesale reharmonization
• Everything fully notated and tabbed in the accompanying 28-page PDF, with synchronized on-screen captions even at full performance tempo

The class accommodates different levels of experience. Players newer to standard repertoire will pick up important first principles and should manage the basic solo setting; the fully expanded rendition may be more aspirational, but the concepts behind it are easy to grasp. Experienced players should handle all the material comfortably — and may still have their eyes and ears opened to new possibilities. Either way, the aim is transferable ideas that inspire self-directed study.